Cheap, Good Laptop? Help!

Stives · 07-16-2008, 12:32 AM

Hello, I bought my first laptop months ago, and I hated it. It was way too bulky, weak specs and the Intel GMA945 made me cry. So I sold it to my friend, and I have a good one in mind: the Gateway T-1623. It's a 14" screen, which is exactly the size I want, and it's got a lot more onboard additions which I find are quite essential. Webcam, 5 in 1 card reader, a much better graphics processor (than gma945), and a nice paint job to boot, and to add to all of that it's the amazing price of 600USD! This deal seems almost too good to be true! Wait, it is. So far the possible problems I've seen are weak battery life, a horrible OS, and to upgrade to XP, I might lose all driver support! I went to the Gateway website and couldn't find a single driver for XP, and this worries me. Are there other sites where I could find some, because if I got this laptop, it would be imperative to upgrade to XP. Also, are there any cons to the laptop I don't see already? Just a few worried thoughts from a cautious buyer, and thanks in advance for any advice!

Sir Travis D · 07-16-2008, 01:05 AM

The graphics card is still integrated, but it is better than the gma. As long as you don't do a LOT of strong gaming, it should be ok.

Stives · 07-16-2008, 01:17 AM

Not much more than a few low end free MMOs, and the occasional TF2 (with low amounts of people, of course). But still, the blaring problem of drivers. I suppose I could stay with Vista, if mandatory, seeing how it wouldn't be much different on another laptop. Damn Microsoft and their stranglehold on computers...

Sir Travis D · 07-16-2008, 01:28 AM

If the laptop comes with xp or vista, they will have decent drivers. However, you should upgrade them from laptopvideo2go.com.

Stives · 07-16-2008, 01:52 AM

I was just saying that the website had no available drivers for XP. This could be a major problem if I wished to change to XP.

07-16-2008, 12:32 AM	#1 (permalink)
Stives New Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 6	Cheap, Good Laptop? Help! Hello, I bought my first laptop months ago, and I hated it. It was way too bulky, weak specs and the Intel GMA945 made me cry. So I sold it to my friend, and I have a good one in mind: the Gateway T-1623. It's a 14" screen, which is exactly the size I want, and it's got a lot more onboard additions which I find are quite essential. Webcam, 5 in 1 card reader, a much better graphics processor (than gma945), and a nice paint job to boot, and to add to all of that it's the amazing price of 600USD! This deal seems almost too good to be true! Wait, it is. So far the possible problems I've seen are weak battery life, a horrible OS, and to upgrade to XP, I might lose all driver support! I went to the Gateway website and couldn't find a single driver for XP, and this worries me. Are there other sites where I could find some, because if I got this laptop, it would be imperative to upgrade to XP. Also, are there any cons to the laptop I don't see already? Just a few worried thoughts from a cautious buyer, and thanks in advance for any advice!

07-16-2008, 01:05 AM	#2 (permalink)
Sir Travis D Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Age: 14 Posts: 1,178	The graphics card is still integrated, but it is better than the gma. As long as you don't do a LOT of strong gaming, it should be ok. __________________ Alienware Area-51 M15x Owner Winner of CFclan suicide and whiner medals, 2008

07-16-2008, 01:28 AM	#4 (permalink)
Sir Travis D Diamond Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Age: 14 Posts: 1,178	If the laptop comes with xp or vista, they will have decent drivers. However, you should upgrade them from laptopvideo2go.com. __________________ Alienware Area-51 M15x Owner Winner of CFclan suicide and whiner medals, 2008

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07-16-2008, 01:17 AM	#3 (permalink)
Stives New Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 6	Not much more than a few low end free MMOs, and the occasional TF2 (with low amounts of people, of course). But still, the blaring problem of drivers. I suppose I could stay with Vista, if mandatory, seeing how it wouldn't be much different on another laptop. Damn Microsoft and their stranglehold on computers...

07-16-2008, 01:52 AM	#5 (permalink)
Stives New Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 6	I was just saying that the website had no available drivers for XP. This could be a major problem if I wished to change to XP.